Singto Numchok is one of Thailand’s most popular musicians, but don’t let his fame fool you. He is a charming, laid-back gentleman who enjoys hanging out by the beach and surfing. Singto also enjoys a good cup of coffee.

The idea to start his own coffee roaster came from not finding the perfect cup of coffee he wanted in Bang­kok. Singto mentioned that when he’d go out into his neighbourhood to grab a coffee, he would end up with a cup that was extremely watered down or one that was too bitter to drink. Feeling frustrated, in the little spare time that he had he started to canvas the inter­net to learn about the different varieties of coffee beans available and how to roast them.

He bought beans from a variety of places in Bang­kok and started to experiment with roasting coffee in his home. First with simple drip coffee and then later with a vintage moka pot. This is when I had the op­portunity to indulge in my first cup of Shoo We Doo Wa coffee. The flavour was rich and there was no bitter aftertaste. It was a strong cup of coffee that needed neither milk nor sugar.

Fast forward a few months and Shoo We Doo Wa Coffee Roaster has taken Thailand by storm. Current­ly popular as a mobile coffee shop, the coffee roaster brews its speciality coffee out of the back of vintage Volkswagen vans as well as setting up shop at a vari­ety of music and tourist events across Thailand.

Shoo We Doo Wa recently went on tour. The coffee roaster brought its signature brand of coffee brews to Phuket during the Phuket Surf Fest 2019 in Patong late last month, calling their Volkswagen pop-up shop “Shoo We Doo Wa On the Beach”. To the delight of many of his fans, Singto was there working as a baris­ta, brewing up his special blends of beans and getting customer feedback about his coffee drinks.

Much to my surprise, many of the owners of the coffee shops I have previously written about for this column were also there sampling the coffee and buying beans to use in their own establishments.

Currently, Shoo We Doo Wa Coffee Roaster func­tions as a mobile coffee shop only, but there is a plan for the future to open a flagship coffee shop, and Singto and his partner are currently researching the market in both Bangkok and Phuket.

For now, Singto hopes to encourage coffee lovers to follow in his footsteps and experiment with coffee bean varieties in the comfort of their own homes. In that spirit, Shoo We Doo Wa Coffee Roaster has made their coffee bean varieties available to order online.

There are three beans to choose from: Guatemala, a Brazil Honduras Guatemala mix and an Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. Each of the bean varieties boasts a unique taste and balance as well as roast level. The Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is my favourite. It’s a sweet and lively brew with floral, caramel and citrus blends. While I do love a good cup of coffee, I am certainly no barista, so I grind the beans in the morning and use them to brew coffee in a very old “Mr.Coffee” drip coffee maker.

Written by Amy Bensema, Cafe Society is a monthly column which chronicles one girl’s search for the perfect cup of coffee. Have a cafe to recommend? Contact Amy via email at bensema.amy@gmail.com or follow her caffeinated adventures as @phukestagram on Instagram.

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